Ragged Heart Meltdown
by Archilochus
Summary: The Meltdown has begun. Everyone's starting their senior year, and it's taking no prisoners. Sam and Freddie are so close yet so far, Carly might have feelings for Freddie after all, and Gibby only wants Carly. Here comes a love typhoon of a fearsome sort
1. The Party: Part I

**The Party: Part I**

The Meltdown was put into motion long before any of them saw it coming. It started when a young boy obsessed with technology became infatuated with a long-haired brunette, who it seemed would never love him back. It started when said young boy met a spirited blonde girl, who thought she would always hate him. It started when a shirtless potato joined the group, as a sort of jokester at first who eventually become one of their best friends. These were all things that, while significant in retrospect, just appeared to be ordinary happenings. Temporary waiting rooms in the passage of time.

But if you had to put a stamp on it, The Ragged Heart Meltdown officially started on the night of the party, as they were about to enter their senior year of high school…

* * *

The blue sedan slowed to a stop at the curbside. Beyond the concrete barrier was a front lawn, painted black under the nighttime sky. Beyond the front lawn was a house. Through every window of the house, light shined forth, beckoning all passerbies to come on in. The windows themselves were propped open and loud music pumped through them, fed through the air by enormous black speakers. Strings of Christmas lights were hung along the rooftop, and they illuminated a great, multicolored banner. The banner read, 'The 2011 Start-of-the-Year Bash!'

Three of the doors to the blue sedan swung open. Out of them climbed a dark-haired boy, a dark-haired girl, and a blonde-haired girl.

"Well, we're here," Carly said. Her eyes scanned over the house, taking in every detail. "Thanks for driving Freddie."

"No problemo Carlyo," Freddie answered.

"Of course, we could have gotten here sooner if someone drove a little bit faster." Freddie smirked at Sam. She had sat next to him in the passenger's seat, as she had gotten in the habit of doing quite often recently, and urged him the entire time to put the pedal to the medal.

"And of course, if someone had driven the way they wanted to, we could have spent the night in jail instead of getting here at all," Carly said.

"Yeah, yeah, don't patronize me," Sam said. Though her tone was callous, her friends knew she only meant it in a playful way.

"You know my approach to driving Sam. Always stick to the speed limit."

The blonde showed her feigned contempt by not answering. Though it was difficult to see under the starlight, Freddie thought he caught a loose strand of hair threatening to get in Sam's eye.

"Hey, hold still for a second." Freddie carefully grabbed the strand.

"Dude, it's okay, I got–"

When Sam turned to tell Freddie that his assistance was unnecessary, she discovered that she had misjudged the distance between the two of them. Now, their faces were only a foot away from each other, Freddie clutching a renegade lock of hair and Sam standing utterly still, short of breath.

'_Well,' said the young girl, glaring at the boy standing in front of her on the fire escape. 'Lean.'_

Freddie immediately released Sam's hair and the two started walking, as if nothing had ever happened. It was over in a matter of seconds. The long-haired brunette, who had started walking a few seconds sooner, pretended she hadn't noticed anything at all, although she did out of the corner of her eye and she would think about their little moment a lot on future nights, when she couldn't sleep.

"So Carly," Sam said, speeding up so she could catch her friend. The casualness in her manner cast a shadow over Freddie's heart. "On the hunt tonight for anyone in particular?"

"No Sam," Carly said. She shot her best friend a shy smile. "I just want to have a good time, that's all."

"Come on Carlotta," Sam said. She slung her arm around Carly's shoulders. "It's the first party of senior year. iCarly's never been more popular, and your its namesake. You could…oh I don't know, take advantage of it for once."

"I know what you're implying," Carly said. She gently guided the blonde's arm off her. "But I'm not interested in any of that. I just want a night of good, clean, moral fun."

"Well if that's what you want, you're at the right place," Sam muttered.

The trio had arrived at the doorstep of the house.

Sam rolled her eyes and continued. "I mean, considering who's throwing the party."

Carly smiled in response and averted her gaze, while Freddie rang the doorbell.

"That's not why _you're _here, is it?" Freddie asked as they waited. The question was directed at Sam. The blonde merely rolled her eyes a second time.

"I was just kidding Fredachu." Sam pinched Freddie's face like an old, syrupy auntie. When her fingers touched Freddie's cheek, time stopped for a moment. When Sam removed her fingers, time resumed.

The front door opened. A shirtless boy clad in only cargo pants greeted them.

"Oh, hey guys," Gibby said. He took a sip of a half-empty bottle of root beer, then wiped his mouth. His gaze lingered on Carly for a split-second longer than the others. "Come on in." Gibby spun on his foot and went back inside, leaving the three friends to it.

"Well," Carly said. She glanced at Sam and Freddie. "Let's mingle."

The brunette stepped over the threshold and vanished from sight.

"Uhh," Freddie said. Now that their third member was gone, he and the blonde had become very self-conscious. The two peered down at their feet.

"Good…luck," Sam said.

"Thanks, you too."

Green and brown eyes interlocked. The exchange had been all too automatic. They both knew that the last time it had been uttered, the word 'work' had been used instead of luck."

"You…want to go first?" Freddie gestured toward the open door. He stared expectantly at the blonde.

"S-sure." As quiet as the invisible ninja she always aspired to be, Sam tiptoed past Freddie. She halted under the doorframe. Her neck craned so she could see the boy. "Hey?"

"Yo," Freddie said. He chuckled, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he could never be cool around her.

"Is that a new shirt?"

Freddie glanced down at the fabric covering his torso. Stripes. White and blue. He smiled to himself, knowing where this was going. "Yeah," he said.

"…I like it."

Freddie frowned. Perhaps he didn't know where the conversation was headed. "But I thought you hated stripes."

Sam flashed a sly smile. Her tone became very playful. "Maybe Mama goin' through a change of heart." With that, she dashed inside the house.

* * *

"So Carly, I hear you're not going out with anyone right now."

Jake Krandle was sitting next to Carly at the Gibson's bar counter. Each had a bottle of root-beer in their hands. Carly's was nearly finished, while Jake had barely touched his.

"You heard right," Carly said. She beamed at her former crush, though her heart no longer fluttered at the sight of him.

"You know, I'm single too," Jake said. He spoke with a very pleasing baritone voice.

"Oh yeah? Anyone in the pipeline right now?"

Jake shook his head. "Nope." His fingers grazed the side of his bottle. He fidgeted in his seat. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought Carly used to like him a lot more more back in eighth grade. "What about you? Anyone you got your eye on?"

From her periphery, Carly made out the lone figure of Freddie. He stood with his hands in his pockets, though he was occasionally peeking over at the sofas.

"No."

* * *

"So your family just moved back to Ridgeway, huh?"

"That's right," said Rip-off Rodney. He and Sam occupied both cushions of one of the sofas. "My dad got laid-off. You know, during the recession? We were having trouble making ends meet, so we moved back to the old place last month."

"Interesting," Sam said. She shifted in her seat, since her previous position made her feel uncomfortable. "I'm sure you were better able to help your dad our here too. You know…being as most of your clients are from Ridgeway."

"You would be right." Rodney reached inside his coat. He withdrew a spherical shape with a stick attached to it. "Sucker?"

Sam chuckled. "Is it approved by the FDA?"

"No ma'am."

"Then I'll take it." Sam unwrapped the candy and stuck it in her mouth. She sucked on it slowly, knowing full well that Rodney was watching.

"I have a question for you Puckett." Rodney was staring intently at the blonde. Through her silence, Sam invited him to continue. "How is it that a girl like you, internationally-known webstar, with the face of an angel and the…figure of a devil, has nearly gone through her entire high-school career without ever dating anyone more than once?"

Sam crushed her sucker between her teeth. "Well," she began. She didn't care whether her mouth was full. "Us girls are choosy. You know? We don't just welcome every guy we see on the street."

"I hear you're as choosy as they come."

A loud gulp came from somewhere in Sam's throat. She licked her lips clean.

"You'd be right."

"Then why are we sitting here, talking like this?"

For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Sam looked Rodney in the eyes. She had been staring at a stripe-shirted boy for the majority of it, but she couldn't forget social etiquette altogether. Ever so slightly, Sam's brows rose.

"What makes you think I want to sit here and talk?"

Rodney's nerves cooled.

"Like I said," he said softly. "They say you're choosy."

* * *

Freddie watched the conversation between Sam and Rodney with growing discontent. She was just playing with him. Rodney had just moved back into town anyway; why would Sam want to hook up. Besides, their little sofa-discussion all fit in with Sam's idea of cat and mouse, which she enjoyed very much. That was her idea of a good time. Bewitching some guy who everyone knew to be a giant jerk, and then pulling the rug out from under him. Teach him a lesson. She did it all the time.

So why did he feel so unsure of himself?

Freddie glanced over at Carly. From the look of it, Jake was quickly realizing how little chemistry he and the brunette had left. But just like Sam, Carly stayed put.

_Well, it is the final year of high school. Maybe Carly was right. Maybe we should just mingle, enjoy it while we can._

Shooting one last glance at Sam, Freddie made his way out of the living room. _Or maybe not_. He entered the kitchen, through which there was a sliding door that led onto a patio. The patio was decked out too, so that those who wanted could go outside, look around, and catch some air. That's what Freddie thought he needed now. Air.

_Sure are a lot of stars out tonight,_ Freddie thought as he stepped into the outside world. He searched the tiny pinpricks. Back in the ninth grade, after Sam revealed to the world wide web that he never kissed anyone and he holed himself up on the fire escape, he had taken to studying the constellations. Freddie wondered how much he remembered.

The sliding door opened and closed. Freddie found himself joined by a female. One he had not come to the party with.

"Freddie Benson," Wendy said. She walked out under the moonlight and smiled, green eyes shimmering. "I've been looking _all_ night for you."

* * *

"And that's when I finally took that psycho Nora chick apart and saved the day."

"Wow Gibby."

"Oh my God, that is _so_ epic."

Gibby was reclining on the living room ottoman, the nicest article of furniture in the room, surrounded by no less than six girls. Not that this was unusual. He _was_ after all Gibby.

"Only you could take down a girl and not seem like a jerk," said a member of the Gibby fan club.

"Thank you Melissa," Gibby said. "I'm very flattered." Gibby suddenly straightened in his seat and waved his arm, as if to catch someone's attention. "Hey you over there! No alcohol! Get that stuff outta here."

Shaking his head, Gibby took a drink from his bottle. "Ah! Yep." He eyed the label. "Root beer. That's what Gibbies drink."

"So Gibby," said Melissa. She was emboldened by the gratitude Gibby had expressed toward her. "If you could have anything in the world right now, what would it be?"

The image of a long, dark-haired brunette swam into and out of focus in Gibby's mind.

"Well…" The girls waited with bated breath. Gibby knew how to drive them crazy. "I have to say…I want…another beverage."

The crowd laughed and cheered, clinking their bottles amongst one another. During all this, Gibby drank the dark colored liquid and thought quietly to himself.

* * *

Now several characters in the Meltdown would leave as soon as they had come, or would enter at a later time point. But two main characters, ones who would be featured consistently, were outside of the adolescent age-group. Neither went to Ridgeway High, though they did live in the Bushwell. In fact, they lived right across the hall from one another. Their tale too however could be said to have begun on the same night.

And it goes without saying that theirs was the most dysfunctional.

"Mrs. Benson?"

Marissa Benson was standing across the open doorway from the younger man.

"Hello Spencer."

**Disclaimer - I do not own iCarly, it's characters, nor any other shows, characters, music, and/or movies that may be referenced.**

**AN: Can't believe how much I've been writing lately. This story will have happiness, pain, laughter and tears. Anyway, multi-chap fics are quite an effort, so whaddya crazy folks think? Ya want more?**


	2. The Party: Part II

**The Party: Part II**

"Well. What a pleasant surprise."

"I'm sorry for barging in like this."

But the way Marissa walked past Spencer into the loft, she didn't seem sorry at all. Spencer closed the door behind her. For some reason, he had the premonition that Marissa would be staying here a while. Not that he minded.

"Something I can help you with?" Spencer smiled at the older woman.

"Yeah," Marissa said. When she entered, she had gone some distance into the living room. Once Spencer had closed the door, she walked back toward him, closing the gap. Marissa stared at his chest for a moment, then up at his face. "There's something you can help me with."

Spencer gulped audibly. "Hot night isn't it?" He flicked his head in the direction of the thermostat. "Want me to turn that down?" Spencer was about to go over and do just that, but a hand grabbed him by the wrist.

"You don't have to," Marissa said. Her eyes glittered with the exuberance of a woman much younger. "I like it hot."

* * *

"Hey Carly."

Carly whipped around to face whoever was calling her. It was Adam. "_Hey!"_ Her voice hit a really high note, to stress her alleged shock and excitement. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you again."

"Yeah." Adam laughed. "I was in the hospital for a long time. You have some very enthusiastic fans."

"I'll say," Carly added. She was all smiles and shiny eyes. The thing was, she didn't mean to be, and she regretted it when she saw Adam standing there, falling for her all over again like a ton of bricks.

"So why are you sitting all alone like that?"

"Well, you know." Carly put her hands on her lap. "Gotta pace myself."

"Isn't that the truth?" Adam stuck his hands in his pockets, tilting around by the ankles. Carly knew she couldn't just turn him away.

"You wanna sit down?" She gestured at Jake's old seat.

"Sure." Adam sat down. He propped his arms over the counter and looked at Carly. He frowned when he saw that her attention was elsewhere. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Carly could have slapped herself on the forehead. What was she thinking, spacing out like that?

"Nothing, it's just…" Adam's eyes traveled around the room. He was trying to imitate the brunette. "You keep looking everywhere, like you're trying to find someone."

"Sorry. It's just that there's so many kids here. I'm kind of getting whiplash."

"I know," Adam said. He went silent for a moment. "You didn't come here with Benson, did you?"

The question caught Carly by surprise. She hesitated too long before responding. Her hesitation was response enough for Adam.

"See ya around Carly," Adam said. He got off his seat, prepared to leave.

"Sam and I both came with Freddie."

Adam stopped. His back faced Carly. The brunette saw his shoulders rise, then fall. He turned around. "I'm sorry," he said, and he meant. His features were screwed up in disgust, aimed at himself.

"It's okay," Carly said. "Those fans put you in a coma for…what was it, two years? I think you have a right to be slightly miffed."

Adam chuckled. He cleared his throat. "You know, this may sound kind of cheesy…"

"I like cheesy."

"But, when you wake out of a two-year coma and suddenly get a new lease on life…"

The two laughed at this. Life was absurd sometimes.

"You start thinking about what might have happened if you didn't get so lucky."

"Aww, don't say that."

Adam shook his head. "No, I don't think you get me." He stared at his shoes, laughed, and then stared back at the brunette.

* * *

"Want to play a game?" Rodney grinned at Sam. His arms were crossed over his chest, each hand buried inside his coat.

"What kind of game?"

Rodney's hands burst from his coat. In his right hand, he wielded a pack of playing cards. He waved the pack in front of Sam's nose.

"Card game. The kind where you pick one and I guess it."

Sam gave a derisive laugh. Rodney had disappointed her. "I don't think so Rods. Mama knows all the pick-a-card-any-card games there are."

"Not this one," Rodney replied. He cocked an eyebrow. "So how about it blondie?"

"How does it work?"

"I give you the pack." Rodney gave Sam the pack of cards. He then placed his hands over Sam's and guided her through the shuffling process. "You shuffle them up." Rodney removed his hands and twisted in his seat. "I give you my back. You pick a card. You put it _back_, in the deck. You shuffle it up, I turn around, I take the pack, and I make a guess."

"What do I get if I win?"

"Any item from the coat. Free of charge."

"And if I lose."

Sam couldn't see the smile Rodney wore. "I think you already know the answer to that."

Sam riffed through the cards, inspecting them. They seemed clean. As for Rodney…

"Take off the jacket."

The boy doffed the jacket. It was a rare sight indeed. He looked a lot thinner.

"So," Rodney said. He lifted a hand in the air. "Wanna play?"

Sam began shuffling the cards. Upon hearing this, Rodney put his hand down. When she was satisfied, Sam set the deck down on her leg. She selected a card. Five of hearts.

How appropriate. 'Five.' The number _he_ always counted down from before the start of iCarly. And a five of _hearts_. Even better.

Sam inserted the card back into the deck and shuffled it a few more times.

"Done?" Rodney asked.

"What do you think?"

Rodney turned around and took the deck from Sam. He studied the deck. A card was withdrawn, held so that it's back faced Sam. Rodney peered over the top of the card and grinned at her.

* * *

"You don't have to be nervous Benson." Wendy was leaning on the wall outside Gibby's house, next to Freddie. "I know you're the shy type."

This stung Freddie's ego. "I am _not_ the shy type." Wendy chuckled.

"_Yeah_ you are." She moved closer to Freddie. "That's why I like you."

Freddie pinked. Never had a girl been so forward with him before. And never in such a serious manner.

"_Ragged Heart Meltdown,_

_It'll flip you over, and, spin you around._

_Ragged Heart Meltdown,_

_It throws you up in the air, and, back to the ground."_

"Is that the new one by Cuttlefish?" Wendy asked. Through the open windows, they could hear the music coming from inside the party.

Freddie nodded. "Yeah. I don't really like it though."

"I know, right? Why are all the bands going emo?"

"Beats me."

The pair leaned against the wall in silence.

"They're saying you and Puckett might go out any day now." This brought Freddie to full attentiveness. He tried to dismiss the comment as pure gossip.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Come on, Benson." Wendy drew even closer to him. "You know what they say? Opposites attract."

"Or they repel." Freddie hoped he had remained nonchalant. Apparently he did, because now Wendy was so close, their shirtsleeves were rubbing against one another.

"She'd be crazy to leave her hands off you." Immediately after saying this, Wendy put _her_ hand on Freddie's cheek. The exact same spot Sam pinched earlier that evening. Unlike Sam, Wendy didn't relinquish contact.

Freddie's heart began racing.

"Sweet boy." Wendy once said these words to him after he had given up a cruise. "How long has it been since a girl's kissed you? On the lips?"

* * *

"Adam, wait!"

But Adam was gone. Carly had committed one too many pauses, slip-ups, and far-away glances to keep the boy's attention any longer. She let her head hit the bar counter, feeling awful.

_I didn't mean it._

"Boy trouble?"

Carly lifted her head. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Yeah, so far I've managed to tick off just about every guy who wants to talk to me."

"That could mess with your self-esteem."

Carly chuckled. "I'm more worried about their self-esteems. I feel like such a jerk." Carly quickly scanned the living room. Freddie was nowhere in sight. "At least you're here though. You're probably the one dude I can talk to without worrying you'll end up hating me."

"Don't worry about a thing ma'am. Lovin's my business. Why else wouldn't I wear shirts?"

* * *

Spencer and Marissa's lips crashed into each other, and before the two adults knew it, they were wrestling on the couch, breathing like marathoners.

"Oh my God," Spencer gasped. "This is so wrong."

"Completely."

"You're so _old_."

"I had to wait 'til you turned thirty."

"I've built sculptures of you out of butter."

"I love _butter_."

Marissa leapt to her feet. She dusted off her hands, grinning down at the young man. Spencer shook his head, unable to believe this was all happening.

"I'll be back," the older woman said.

"Where are you going?"

"To get my nursing equipment." Marissa played with a strand of her hair. "I wanna…check your vital signs."

Marissa sprinted to the door and flung it open with all her might. When she did so, Lewbert was standing on the other side of the doorway.

**Disclaimer - I do not own iCarly, it's characters, nor any other shows, characters, music, and/or movies that may be referenced.**


End file.
